ahhh...Christmas

Christmas is quickly approaching, as is our trip back to South Carolina. It will be so nice to escape the FRIGID temperatures of below 10 degrees! I love bundling up, but there are only so many clothes a girl can put on to stay warm and still look presentable! While it definitely feels more like Christmas out here than it does in the south, Christmas will be enjoyed much more with family and friends we haven't seen in a while.

Since we are flying home before Christmas, Tim and I exchanged gifts with each other last night. Tim, understanding how cold I have been gave me some great gifts to keep me warm. I got lots of cozy lounge pants and pjs. He also gave me this luscious blanket from Restoration Hardware:

All of that coupled with some bath stuff, Chico's necklaces, chocolate, and a Barnes and Noble gift card makes Hillary a spoiled girl!

As many of you know, Matt and Michelle "blessed" us with a Nintendo Wii as a wedding gift. Tim is a huge fan (I am too, though I don't have as much time to play.) His one gift request this Christmas was Guitar Hero for the Wii, so I got it.
Tim is like a 12 year old boy. I have to admit that it is fun to watch as he shows off his "talents" with the guitar. So far, I've had Cream, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Rage Against The Machine, The Killers, AFI, Sonic Youth, Alice Cooper, and many, many more perform in my living room as I sit on the couch, under my new cozy blanket, drinking coffee and keeping warm in the frigid weather of Colorado. To all our family and friends in South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Colorado...Merry Christmas to all and YOU ROCK!

6 months of marriage

This past Sunday marked a small, but notable, milestone in our marriage. We have now been married 6 months! Time has really flown by, but I guess that's what they say happens when you're having fun, right? Tim was a sweetheart and made reservations for brunch at a very elegant hotel in downtown Denver called the Brown Palace. Below are pictures of the hotel and the brunch we enjoyed. The brunch included made to order omelets, roast of buffalo, unlimited champagne (yes, you read that correctly), creme brulee, chocolate mouse, sushi, fresh seafood, cornucopia of fresh fruit...I could go on and on. Needless to say, it was wonderful (and so is my husband!)

Winter in Colorado

While South Carolina offers many wonderful things, it doesn't offer snow like what we've gotten in the last few weeks. I'm sitting on the couch staring out the window at a field covered in snow (the fluffy kind) and I LOVE it! I might eat my words in January, February, and March, but right now a cup of coffee and cozy sweats make this morning complete! Here are some pics of when my family came to visit and were blessed with the first big snow. These were taken while exploring Red Rocks Amphitheater:

Tim

You Are An ESFJ

The Caregiver You are sympathetic and caring, putting friends and family first.A creature of habit, you prefer routines and have trouble with change.You love being in groups - whether you're helping people or working on a project.You are good at listening, laughing, and bringing out the best in people. In love, you value harmony and mutual understanding.You will apologize or give someone the benefit of the doubt, if it means getting over a fight sooner. At work, you are good at building relationships and connecting with people.You would make a great nurse, social worker, or teacher. How you see yourself: Organized, dependable, co-operative When other people don't get you, they see you as: Opinionated, critical, and know-it-all

What's" Your Personality Type?

Me

You Are An INFJ

The Protector You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity.Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is.You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience.You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them. In love, you truly see relationships as an opportunity to connect and grow.You enjoy relationships as long as they are improving and changing. You can't stand stagnation. At work, you stay motivated and happy... as long as you are working toward a dream you support.You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher. How you see yourself: Hardworking, ethical, and helpful When other people don't get you, they see you as: Manipulative, weak, and unstable

What's" Your Personality Type?

7 inches

Ok, so I got brave today and chopped it all off! This was at least 5 years worth of having long hair...all on the floor of the salon!

As promised...Halloween pictures!

It's Elvis Presley and Lucille Ball!!!!



Clearly, I'm not a red head! But check out the hair on both of us!

August, September, and Rocktober

Well, this blog started with every good intention of being an on-going chronicle of The Brocks in Colorado...then I went back to work! Both Tim and I have stayed very busy with the fun (and not-so-fun) elements of life. I apologize for not being as diligent in keeping you all updated with life out here. Now that life is beginning to slow down (just in time for the holiday season) I'm taking a moment to include you in life as we've known it for the past three months!

As August thrust itself upon us, as it always seems to do, we took time to take a small family trip back to South Dakota with Matt and Michelle. We visited Mt. Rushmore again, but we also went to the Badlands. It's so hard to believe that there is such diversity in a two-hour drive through one state! The pictures below are some from that camping trip:

As August progressed, the strange weather this arid community had experienced all summer (rain, and lots of it) continued which resulted in lots of double rainbows. A nice thing about living in the plains is that you get a chance to see full rainbows. There were lots of these after the thunderstorms of August. Our camera couldn't do the colors justice:



We had some interesting guests in our backyard early in the morning when the weather was right:


All the while, Rocky grew, got more adorable, and developed some pretty interesting habits. Below are some pictures of him as he's gotten bigger. Pay careful attention to his reflection in the glass door...he is terribly intimidated by that "other dog!"



August (finally) came to an end and September rushed in! I took some time to fly back for a girls weekend via Autumn's bachelorette party:


Amazingly, in Colorado, you can taste fall when you're actually supposed to! We took advantage of the cool weather and trekked up to Vail, CO with Matt and Michelle.




Now it's almost the end of October, I'm officially entering my "late-twenties", and the Rockies have made it to the World Series! Who'd have thought? And better yet, Tim was able to score tickets! Here's the catch: We're sitting in the apartment right now, watching Game 4 and praying that they win this game because our tickets are for Game 5! For such a baseball fan as Tim, it will be a difficult pill to swallow if we get this close to a World Series game, but don't make it. October has always been my favorite month for the obvious and not-so-obvious reasons. With my new found interest in baseball, it seems fitting that the season culminate in my new town, in my favorite month. Besides, what other team can coin a term like "Rocktober?"

As much fun as it is out here, we still miss everyone back home. We look forward to seeing you all over the holidays. I vow to be more dedicated to this blog...what better way to multi-task while catching up on DVR? So until we see each other again, check back. I should have some great Halloween pictures/Autumn's wedding pictures/and tales of the Potter Thanksgiving Invasion of Colorado!

Love to you all,
Hillary

Wedding Pictures

Our wedding photos from the photographer were finally sent yesterday! I haven't stopped printing, and looking, and framing since then! All the pictures (all 400 of them!) are available for viewing at the following two web albums:

http://picasaweb.google.com/hpbrock47/BrockWedding

http://picasaweb.google.com/hpbrock47/BrockReception

My Two Guys

Rocky's First Bath

The first bath was interesting...he doesn't like to be clean! However, look how fluffy he was afterward! He has almost doubled in size since we first got him!

He has become so much more energetic! He runs around in circles for no reason. He loves eating leaves, grass, and weeds. He also loves to chew...but especially on hair! He goes crazy playing with my hair!

He is so much fun to have around. If we can get him to sleep past 6:30, he'll be a great dog! :)

The Emissions Test

It all started with good intentions. Tim had the day off from work. We made the list of things that needed to be done. First on the list was to head to the DMV to make me and my car legal. Upon research, we found that before I could register in Colorado, I would need to pass an emissions test. (For those of you in SC, this something we used to do when we had the little stickers in the bottom left corner of the windshields.) About 12:30, Tim and I were finally ready to head to the Emissions Testing Facility. We give the keys to the people working there and go into the waiting room. About five minutes later they come in asking if there is some special alarm on my car. Somehow, in the time it took for them to get our keys and drive it to the first test spot (about 10 feet forward) the car decided it would not start. They ensured us that they had not done anything, and when asked what went wrong, they simply said that they "weren't mechanics." They did kindly push us out of the way so that they could continue working.

We checked the battery and the positive terminal was completely corroded. After calling Geico to get a tow-truck (that we were told would take up to 90 minutes) I suggested we try to clean off the battery and get someone to jump us off. Luckily this worked. We no longer had to wait to be towed. We took my car up to a repair shop where they checked and found that the battery was pretty weak. We quickly drove to "Checkers Automotive"...similar to AutoZone. Tim decided to buy a new battery and terminal and replace them. He did a very good job at this. (I'm quickly realizing all the benefits of having a husband!)

After Tim had almost finished, one of the helpful people at Checkers came to see how we were progressing. When we started my car up, he noticed that my "check engine" light was on. This has been on for over year. I had been told not to worry about it. However, in the wonderful state of Colorado, this can pose a problem. In any case, Gary quickly decided to help us figure out a way to turn the light off. An hour later, with five guys on the case, they found that the hook up for diagnostic tests is behind my ashtray. Gary runs the test and finds that my Oxygen-something wasn't functioning properly. He also said that it could set off a signal at the emissions place and we might not pass our test if it doesn't get fixed. To fix this, the part would cost $200, so he suggested trying to pass the test first. If we didn't pass, we could then come back and he'd help us get the parts we needed.

By this time, several hours have passed, we have had no lunch, and nothing has been accomplished that was on our list. Begrudgingly, we hop back into the car and head back to the Emissions Testing Facility. We pull back up in line and they automatically notice us. One friendly guy inquires about what turned out to be the problem and then quickly instructs us to go into the waiting area while they run the test. Tim and I are both exhausted, but we patiently wait while they begin to run the tests. About 10 minutes later, we see them push our car off the ramp and they call us out of the waiting area to let us know...(did we pass the emissions test???)

NO...the entire facility went down and we were told that we would need to come back later!!!!

Starving, we get into the car, checked the time in the car which said 2:30. This surprised me because of how long the day had seemed. We decided to get something to eat and at least accomplish setting up bank accounts. After eating we went to the bank, thinking it was mid-afternoon (plenty of time for our other chores.) I check the time on my cell phone which said it was going on 6:00. Confusing, seeing that my clock in my car said something completely different. We checked with the people at the bank and they confirmed that it was almost 6:00. After several confused looks passed between two very tired married people, I remembered...DUH! My battery had died...as with any electric clock that loses power, the time in the car was now wrong. In all, our fun adventure in Colorado took 6 hours. I am so glad to be home!

Wedding Pictures

These are some great pictures from the wedding...courtesy of Resa. The professional ones will be up soon. Hope you enjoy these for now!

Rocky "Rockstar" Brock

The newest addition to our family is our new puppy, Rocky. He has already become quite a celebrity, hence the nickname "Rockstar". He has been so much fun to have around while adjusting to life in a new town. He's been a great therapist as I work through my homesickness...seriously, how could anyone be sad with him around? We've only had him a little over a week and he has developed so much. He found his bark and is so independent, but he is still a great cuddle-bug when he is sleepy.